The present invention relates to an apparatus for detecting a change of viscosity of a fluid medium in time.
More particularly, it is designed to measure the coagulation rate of a blood sample in contact with an appropriate reagent.
Numerous solutions have been proposed for measuring the coagulation rate of blood plasma, such for example as introducing a ferromagnetic ball into the bottom of a cup, containing the plasma to be tested, which is driven with a periodic movement under the effect of an external magnetic field and in which the modifications of the movements of this ball, due to the coagulation, are detected.
Such devices require the use of centrifuged blood or plasma introduced in an appreciable quantity in a cup. Moreover, the reagents used are lyophilized and must be reconstituted with distilled water at the time of use.